CARDIFF CITY last night found themselves caught up in the row about whether Celtic and Rangers should be admitted to the Premiership.

Birmingham owner David Sullivan dragged the Bluebirds into the debate by stating the Glasgow giants could come in ... provided they climb through the divisions the way Cardiff are trying.

Sullivan, himself from the Welsh capital, brought up the issue of the Bluebirds as the row rages in England and Scotland over whether the Old Firm rivals should be granted entry to the Premiership.

Sullivan used Cardiff, as a Welsh club, as an example of how a non-English side could get into the Premiership ... provided they work their way through from Division Three.

But Cardiff supremo Sam Hammam believes Celtic and Rangers should start even lower - in non-league football - and dismissed their grand Premiership plan as "fantasy" anyway.

He argues Cardiff, unlike Celtic and Rangers, are in a unique position because of historical reasons of playing in English football.

The issue of Cardiff as a Welsh club pushing for the Premiership was used as an argument for the pro-Celtic and Rangers lobby on radio debates yesterday.

And Birmingham chief Sullivan then became the first Premiership figure to mention a Welsh club, saying, "If Cardiff City, as capital of Wales, have to come up as one of the top two teams in Division One, or by winning the play-offs as they did last season, why should Celtic and Rangers be any different?"

However, Bluebirds owner Hammam, dragged into the Old Firm controversy by his close friend Sullivan, dismissed the Celtic and Rangers idea, which was mooted again yesterday by Celtic's majority shareholder Dermot Desmond.

"They will never play in English football. It is fantasy," said Hammam.

"There are so many fundamental reasons against them joining that it simply can't happen.

"The English and Scottish FAs will not let it happen. The English clubs won't let it happen.

"If Celtic and Rangers were in the Premier League they would be Champions League contenders.

"So why would clubs like Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle let two teams into the Premier League who could stop them qualifying for the Champions League where they can make between #20m-#40m a season?

"And, even if Celtic and Rangers were permitted to play in English football, they would have to start at the very bottom of the English pyramid system.

"I'm not talking about the Third Division - I'm talking about the second or third division in non-league!"

Hammam went on, "This is one of the strong points about Cardiff City - we have the right to play in the Premier League because of historical reasons. We are in a very lucky position.

"This is the beauty of Cardiff. That's why I came to the club. It has the potential to be a major power.

" If we get the new stadium and we are doing well in the Premier League, then we can be bigger than Celtic and Rangers put together.

"But that is many years away - perhaps 15 years. We are not in the Premier League and we don't have the new stadium yet."